Resilient tube closure



Feb. 27, 1951 F. BOXER RESILIENT TUBE CLOSURE Filed July 5, 1946 INVENTOR FRED 50227? ATTORNEY Patented Feb... 27, 1951 RESILIENT TUBE CLOSURE Fred Boxer, New York, N. Y., assignor to Kaye Plastics Corporation, New Brunswick, N. .L, a corporation of New Jersey Application July 5, 1946, Serial No. 681,535

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to closures for collapsible tubes or similar containers, holding toothpaste or the like.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a closure of this type which may readily be applied to a collapsible tube or a similar container, and which has provisions for instantaneously exposing or sealing the discharge end of the tube through manipulation of but one finger of the same hand with which the tube is held.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description, considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational View, partly in section,

of an applied closure embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is another elevational view of the closure, showing the same in its open condition;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the closure;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sections taken on the lines 4-4 and 55, respectively, of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral I0 designate a closure which is applied to a conventional collapsible tube or similar container I2 that may hold toothpaste or any other paste. Collapsible tubes of this type have an externally threaded discharge end which is customarily sealed off by a threaded cap (not shown) that comes with the purchased tube. A threaded cap of this type has to be removed from, and reapplied to, the tube every time an application of the contents of the tube isfrequired. This is a troublesome and annoying task which usually requires both hands of the user of the tube. Also caps of this type which require removal from the tube for each application of the contents thereof, are readily lost, resulting in quick drying up of the contents thereof.

The instant closure which comprises a body member I4 and a sealing member I6, eliminates these difliculties. To this end, the body member I4, which is in the presentinstance spherical in shape, has a diametric passage I8, one end of which is internally threaded to be received by 2 the threaded discharge end of the tube I2, while the other end 22 of said passage I8 is rectangular in cross section (see also Fig. 5) for the discharge of the contents of the tube in form of a band. The intermediate part of the passage I8 is preferably frusto-conical, as best shown in Fig. 1.

The sealing member I6 of the closure I0 i in the form of a cap 24 which has integral arcuate legs 26 that are pivotally mounted on preferably diametrically opposite pins or studs 28 on the body member I4. The cap 24 is also provided with a handle portion 30 which may be manipulated by one of the fingers, preferably the thumb, of the same hand with which the tube I2 is held, in order to expose or seal the discharge end 22 of the passage I8 in the body member I4.

The closure I0 is applied to a purchased tube I2 after first removing the usual threaded cap from the tube and discarding the cap. The tube I2 is thereafter squeezed until the passage I8 in the closure I0 is filled with the contents of the tube. For every application of the contents of the tube, the sealing member I5 is turned from CIOSillg position (Fig. 1) into open position (Fig. 2), and the same is, after each application, returned to closing position. This is a very simple task accomplished instantaneously, as will be readily appreciated.

The body member I2 .and the sealing member I6 may be made from any suitable material. Preferably, these parts are molded from any suitable plastic which may be transparent to disclose the contents of the tube in the passage I8.

In order to insure perfect sealing of the discharge end 22 of the body member I4, the cap 24 of the sealing member I6 is in intimate contact with the spherical circumference of the body member I4. The mounting legs 26 of the sealing member I6 are preferably spread sufiiciently in order substantially to clear the spherical body member I4 so as to permit intimate contact between the latter and the cap 24. The cap 24 is dish-shaped as best shown in Fig. 6, being in this forn better suited to wipe excess paste from the discharge end 22 of the passage I8 and keep said discharge end 22 clear at all times.

It will be understood that various changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made WlthOllt departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A closure for a collapsible tube having a discharge end, comprising a spherical body member having a diametric discharge passage, diametrically opposite projections, and attachment means for securing said member to said discharge end with said discharge passage in communication with the latter, and a cap having opposite arcuate arms of slightly resilient material pivoted on said projections, respectively, for turning movement of said cap to and from closing relation with said discharge passage, said arms gradually clearing the spherical circumference of said body member starting from adjacent said cap and 4 reaching maximum clearance from said body member at the adjacent projections thereof when said cap is in engagement with said body member.

FRED BOXER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,861,483 Simpson June 7, 1932 1,891,280 Hazlett et al Dec. 20, 1932 2,041,252 Leonard May 19, 1936 15 2,123,694 Denbow et a1 July 12, 1938 

